Trump says US gave $60 million for food in Gaza - then complains he didn't get a thank you
Speaking in Turnberry in Scotland alongside European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen, Mr Trump was asked if Israel should be doing more to get aid into Gaza.
The Israeli military on Sunday began a limited pause in fighting in three populated areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day, part of measures including airdrops as concerns grow over surging hunger and as Israel faces international criticism over its conduct in the 21-month war.
The military said the 'tactical pause' in Gaza City, Deir al-Balah and Muwasi, three areas with large populations, would increase humanitarian aid entering the territory. The pause runs from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm daily until further notice.
Jordan and the United Arab Emirates have also parachuted aid into the Gaza Strip as Israel relents to pressure against the GHF being the sole supplier of food. Other aid organisations have accused the GHF and Israel of weaponising aid.
Mr Trump claimed that, two weeks ago, the US gave $60 million (£45 million) worth of food to the Palestinians in Gaza, adding that he deserved to be thanked for this.
'You know, we gave $60 million two weeks ago and nobody even acknowledged it, for food,' he said.
'And you really want at least someone to say 'thank you'. No other country gave anything. It makes you feel a little bad when nobody talks about it.'
He said that 'none of the European countries have given anything', before adding that 'it would be nice to get at least a 'thank you'.'
Mr Trump did not specify where these funds have come from or to whom they have been sent, but last month, The Guardian revealed that the US had authorised a $30m grant to the controversial GHF.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
a few seconds ago
- The Guardian
Trump threatens drug giants with crackdown over prices
Donald Trump has threatened to use 'every tool in our arsenal' to crack down on pharmaceutical giants if they fail to cut drug prices for Americans within 60 days. The president wrote to executives at 17 companies on Thursday, demanding they match their US prices for prescription drugs with the lowest price offered in other developed nations. Current prices are an 'unacceptable burden' on US families, Trump said, claiming they could be up to three times higher than in other countries. 'Make no mistake: a collaborative effort towards achieving global pricing parity would be the most effective path for companies, the government, and American patients,' Trump wrote. 'But if you refuse to step up we will deploy every tool in our arsenal to protect American families from continued abusive drug pricing practices. 'Americans are demanding lower drug prices, and they need them today.' The bosses of Pfizer, AstraZeneca and GSK were among those who received the letters. None of the firms immediately responded to a request for comment.
Reuters
a few seconds ago
- Reuters
Trump pressures 17 pharma CEOs to cut US drug prices
WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump sent letters to the chief executives of 17 major pharmaceutical companies, urging immediate action to lower the cost of prescription drugs for Americans, the White House said on Thursday. Letters were sent to top executives at Eli Lilly (LLY.N), opens new tab, Sanofi ( opens new tab, Regeneron (REGN.O), opens new tab, Merck & Co (MRK.N), opens new tab, Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N), opens new tab, and AstraZeneca (AZN.L), opens new tab, among others. Copies of the letters were posted on Trump's Truth Social account. The president is calling on the companies to extend most favored nation pricing to Medicaid, guarantee such pricing for new drugs, and return excess overseas revenue to American patients and taxpayers, without providing details. Trump has given the companies until September 29 to respond with binding commitments to those terms. "According to recent data, the prices that Americans have been paying for brand name drugs are more than three times the price other similarly developed nations pay," said White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. She added the administration will "deploy every tool in our arsenal" to end "abusive drug pricing practices."
Telegraph
a few seconds ago
- Telegraph
Trump sends envoy to Gaza to assess ‘dire humanitarian situation'
Donald Trump is sending his Middle East envoy into Gaza to observe the 'dire situation on the ground'. Steve Witkoff, the US special envoy to the Middle East, and Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, met Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Thursday. On Friday, they will be given rare access to Gaza, Karoline Leavitt, the White House press secretary, announced. 'Tomorrow, special envoy Witkoff and ambassador Huckabee will be travelling into Gaza to inspect the current distribution sites and secure a plan to deliver more food and meet with local Gazans to hear first-hand about this dire situation on the ground,' Ms Leavitt told a briefing on Thursday. The men will brief the president immediately after the visit 'to approve a final plan for food and aid distribution into the region,' she said. Photographs of emaciated children in the war-torn territory are beginning to turn the tide of public opinion against Israel's military campaign against Hamas. Aid agencies are warning that hunger and malnutrition may already have reached a tipping point after two and half years of war, raising fears of mass starvation. Mr Trump said he had seen the pictures coming out of Gaza. 'Everybody, unless they are pretty cold hearted or worse than that nuts... there's nothing you can say other than it's terrible when you see the kids,' he said aboard Air Force One on Tuesday. Sections of Mr Trump's Maga base are growing increasingly hawkish on Israel with Marjorie Taylor Greene, a fierce Trump loyalist, this week accusing Israel of 'genocide'. The Gaza health ministry, run by Hamas, has recorded 156 deaths from starvation, including at least 90 children, mostly during recent weeks. The United Nations says Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to reach aid stations since late May, when the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation took over responsibility for delivering aid. The deepening crisis has prompted a string of Washington's allies to signal they will recognise the state of Palestine. Sir Keir Starmer, the Prime Minister, announced this week he would take that step in September if Israel did not declare a ceasefire in Gaza, help to ease the humanitarian emergency, and commit to a long-term peace process with the 'two-state solution' as its goal. A day later, Canada said it planned to recognise the state of Palestine at a meeting of the United Nations in September, further loading pressure on Israel. Mr Trump and his administration has warned that it risks rewarding Hamas, which sparked the conflict with its October 7 attack on Israel in 2023. Since then, the Israeli offensive has flattened the enclave and killed more than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials. On Thursday, Washington announced visa bans on officials with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO). 'It is in our national security interests to impose consequences and hold the PLO and PA accountable for not complying with their commitments and undermining the prospects for peace,' the State Department said. It accused the ground of supporting terrorism 'including incitement and glorification of violence,' and of 'providing payments and benefits in support of terrorism to Palestinian terrorists and their families'. Gideon Saar, the Israeli foreign minister, welcomed the US sanctions. They displayed 'moral clarity,' he said.
